Marcos Cars History Home History Gallery Video Clubs Contact Marcos Cars History 1959 - Marcos is founded by Jem Marsh. Frank Costin joined the company and built the prototype in Dolgellau, North Wales. The name is a combination of the first three letters of Marsh and Costin. Frank had worked on the wooden de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber aircraft and the first Marcos racing cars have a wooden chassis of marine plywood making them very lightweight. 1960 - The first Marcos GT cars are strikingly different from other cars and have gullwing doors, high roof (required by Jem's height) and 4 piece split windscreen. Known as the 'Ugly Duckling' they are powered by Ford 1 litre and 1.2 litre engines and achieve considerable racing success in the hands of Jem Marsh, Jackie Stewart and others. 1961 - Dennis and Peter Adams replace Frank Costin in the Marcos design team. They introduce design changes to the original making the car sleeker and more attractive with a single piece windscreen. The plywood chassis and gullwing doors are retained and the car becames known as the Marcos Gullwing.

It is sold mostly for racing although a few are sold as road cars. A convertible version without the gullwing doors is also introduced and known as the Spyder. A roof is added giving it a boxy look and high fastback rear line causing it to be known as the Fastback or 'Breadvan'. Without the gullwing doors the side doors became small and getting in and out of the cars not easy. 1964 - The Marcos GT 1800 is launched at the London Racing Car show as a road car and meets with considerable acclaim. The chassis is still wood but it is clothed in a glass fibre shell. With a low roof line of 1.09m (43 inch) and long sleek long bonnet it has the classic look of the E-type Jaguar and Ferrari GTO. It has a Volvo 1800cc engine and De Dion sophisticated rear suspension. However production costs are high and this changes in 1966 to a more conventional suspension and a Ford V4 engine, and optional more powerful Ford V6 and Volvo 3 litre straight 6 achieving speeds in excess of 120mph.

The export version to North Amercia uses the Volvo engine for exhaust emission regulations. A unique feature is the fixed seat and adjustable pedals allowing them to moved forward or back to suit the driver making them a very comfortable car to drive. 1965 - The Mini Marcos is launched. Designed by the late Malcom Newall it has a glass fibre body, is sold as kit car and utilises Mini subframes as an affordable GT sports car. It uses the Mini A-Series transverse engine and subframe and suspension. The unconventional bulbous front is necessary to fit over the Mini radiator. Although not a mass market succes as a road car it is successful in competitive racing and is the only British car to finish the 1966 Le Mans. Production by Marcos continues until 1975 when it is licenced to Harold Dermot who launches it as the Midas kit car at the 1978 Performance Car show in London.

1968 - Sees the Marcos Mantis M70 launched as a 2+2 seater sports car with a 2.5 litre Triumph TR6 six cyclinder engine, and the Mantis XP racing car with its agressive angular front designed to fit over a mid-mounted Brabham Repco V8 engine. The XP races at Spa in 1968 but retires with electical problems in torrential rain. Drivers Jem Marsh and Eddie Nelson. 1971 - Problems with sales of the Mantis, a move to expensive new premises in Westbury and unsold cars in the USA cause Marcos to cease business. The Rob Walker Group buys up the assets to continue production for a short while for the UK market. 1976 - Jem Marsh buys back the rights to the Marcos name. 1984 - Marcos is back in business with the Marcos Mantula based in the GT of 1969 but with a more aerodynamic body and more powerful and lighter Rover 3.5 litre V8 engine with 5 speed gearbox. It can reach 0-60mph in under 6 seconds and has a top speed of around 140mph.

The Marcos Martina is externally a similar but lower cost version as it is based on the Ford Cortina steering, suspension and 2 litre engine. The wheel arches are flared to take the wider steering rack of the Cortina. It sells well and is made until 1993. 1986 - The Spyder covertible version of the Mantula is made available 1991 - The moulds and rights for the Mini Marcos revert to Marcos, and it is relaunched for the Japanese market. Complete with a 1.3 litre Mini Cooper engine and air conditioning it is made until 1995. 1993 - Marcos decides to leave the kit car market and launch the Mantara as a fully built sports car in competiton with the likes of TVR and Porsche. It is powered by a 3.9 litre Rover engine. Marcos returns to racing with sponsorship from Computacenter with the LM400 (3.9 litre), LM500 (5 litre Rover engine) and LM600 (6 litre Chevrolet engine). The LM500 is highly successful in the 1994 UK BRDC GT Championship.

In 1995 the LM600 with a top speed of over 200mph dominates and wins the BRDC National Sports GT Championship. In June 1995 the team is in France for the famous Le Mans 24 hour race, finishing the grueling event seventh in class - quite an achievement for a small manufacturer. A small number of these are also offered as road cars. 1997 - The Mantis name is revived as a 2 seater coupe and convertible based on the LM series and using a Four Cam V8 engine. Developing 270bph it accelerated from 0-60 in 4.2 secs and has a top speed of 170 mph. Autocar tests this car and reports that "The doors close with a satisfying clunk, the interior doesn't rattle or squeak and nothing failed or fell off during the course of its time with us - a rare occurence for any low volume British sportscar in our experience" and commented that "How a company that builds just 70 cars a year can...design, engineer and produce a car as good as the Mantis is beyond comprehension".

The GTS version has a 2 litre Rover engine developing up to 200bph. 1998 - The GTS evolves into the Marcos Mantaray launched at the Motor Show with a 4.0 and 4.6 litre Rover V8 engine. It shape has a larger boot and competes with the TVR. 2002 - Following insolvancy in 2000, the Marcos name returns with Canadian backer Tony Stelliga as Marcos Engineering Ltd. 2007 - Marcos Engineering Ltd ceases car production and goes into voluntary liquidation © Copyright 2015 Jem Marsh Marcos « Our Pictures | Discovery of 1959 Marcos 80 SNK 26 Photos Marcos was a British sports car manufacturer. The name was a combination of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin Marcos was founded in Luton, in Bedfordshire, England, in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. Frank Costin had earlier worked on the De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and from there he got the idea to use plywood for the chassis.

The company moved to a converted mill in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire in 1963 and in 1971 to a £125,000 purpose built factory at nearby Westbury. Problems with exporting cars to the USA and the move to the expensive new premises led to financial troubles in the 1970s and by 1971 they were out of business. In July 1971 it was reported that the Rob Walker Group of Companies, a principal dealer, had taken over the stocks and assets of the business and established a new company, Marcos Ltd. The new owners insisted that production would continue, albeit, at least in the short term, only for the UK market. Marcos dealers in the UK had been heavily discounting new cars since the end of 1970, however, while a report at the time of the collapse stated that the company's stock of 35 unsold cars in the USA had had to be "liquidated": in reality there seems to have been a substantial stock of new cars still looking for buyers, and it is not clear whether, over the next few years, any more were built.

Just a year later, one Saturday in June 1972, what was described as "a cash jumble sale of Marcos bits - prototype and shop soiled components, benches, tools..." took place at what was could now be characterized as the "old Marcos Cars factory" at Westbury. The sale was occasioned by the company's reorganisation and move to a smaller factory. Jem Marsh however stayed in the auto business. In 1976 he bought back the rights to the Marcos name, and in 1981 the Marcos was relaunched with the Marcos V6 Coupe that was sold in kit form. Marcos went bankrupt again in 2000, but thanks to a wealthy Canadian, Tony Stelliga buying the company, production was again revived in 2002. The race car production was relocated to the Netherlands while road car production moved to Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. By 2005 most of the designers from the near to bankrupt TVR joined the company. On 9 October 2007 it was announced that Marcos would cease car production and go into voluntary liquidation.

Marcos Cars Marcos 1000GT, Marcos Luton Gullwing; Marcos Fastback GT, Marcos 1800 GT The first car, the 1960 Marcos GT was a rather strange looking device with gullwing doors and a windscreen in four panels. For production the body was made less radical but initially retained the gullwing doors. It was powered by a choice of Ford engines varying from 997 cc to 1498 cc and had Standard 10 and Triumph Herald steering and suspension components. Thirty nine were made up to 1963. In 1961 the brothers Dennis Adams and Peter Adams started working with Marcos and they introduced a number of changes to the original design, so the Marcos Luton Gullwing, and the Spyder were introduced in November 1961, immediately transformed to the Marcos Fastback GT , was displayed at the London Racing Car Show in 1963.

The chassis were glued of mainly 3 mm thin sheets of marine plywood, giving the cars a very strong monocoque and unbeatable low total weight (internationally homologated with 475 kg), resulting in a great performance in sportscar competition. Totally 39 cars were produced of these early Marcos models and nearly all of them were used for national and international racing purpose. In 1964 the Marcos 1800 GT was presented. Originally this used the 4 cylinder Volvo 1800 cc unit with overdrive gearbox and De Dion rear axle but in 1966 this changed to a Ford engine in 1500 cc, 1600 cc or 1650 cc capacity and a coil sprung live rear axle. In 1969 this changed again to the Ford V4 engine as used in the Corsair and Capri. In 1969 the GT changed from plywood chassis to a more conventional steel one.

This shortened the production time and also made it possible to use more powerful 6 cylinder engines with a choice of 140 bhp (104 kW; 142 PS), 3 litre Ford Essex V6 engine (UK), 140 bhp (104 kW; 142 PS), 3 litre Volvo straight 6 or more rarely the Triumph 2.5 litre straight 6. The cars were sold into the North American market and for them to pass the exhaust emissions regulations the Volvo engine was used there, but there were delays and problems and this, along with the development costs of the Mantis, resulted in the company closing its doors - for the first time. The car had a wheelbase of 1,956 millimetres (77.0 in), a height of only 1,092 millimetres (43.0 in) and weighed 914 kilograms (2,020 lb).

The Ford V6 version achieved over 120 mph (190 km/h) on test and the Volvo engined model was not far behind it, but the heavy cast iron engines made the cars a little nose heavy, especially compared to the 4 cylinder variants. Mini Marcos As the Marcos GT had got larger and more powerful, a return to smaller cars had come in 1965 with the glass fibre monocoque bodied Mini Marcos. With a wheelbase of only 69 inches (1,800 mm) the Malcolm Newell designed Mini Marcos was significantly shorter than the usual Marcos cars, but it was the only British car to finish Le Mans the following year. It was powered by one of the Mini A-series range of transverse engines driving the front wheels and used Mini front and rear subframes and suspension. Production finished in about 1975 to be taken up by Harold Dermott, who went on to produce the Midas. Cars were also made under licence in South Africa, Australia and Ireland. Over 1300 have been made in kit and complete car versions.

In 1991 the Mini Marcos was relaunched to meet demands from Japan and was made up to 1995. After the demise of Marcos Sales Limited, the Mini Marcos moulds were acquired by Rory McMath of Marcos Heritage Spares. They are able to manufacture/supply all fibreglass parts, from a nosecone to a complete shell. Marcos Heritage relaunched the Mini Marcos in 2005 as the Marcos Heritage Mk. VI and Mk. VI GT The GT Version was also included in the game Gran Turismo 4 for the Playstation2. Marcos Mantis In 1968 came two different cars both called the Mantis. One was a pure racing car, the Marcos Mantis XP, a sportscar-prototype with very aggressive appearance, powered by a mid-mounted BRM-Repco V8.Only one was made. The only race was the 1000 km race in Spa in 1968, were it was DNF because of electrical problems , as the race was hit by severe rains.

The other was the 2+2 Mantis, powered by a 2.5 litre Triumph TR6 six cylinder injected engine, but the design was not well received and only 32 were sold. Marcos Mantula, Spider and Martina In 1984 the Marcos Mantula appeared, with a reborn company, still under the original founder, Jem Marsh, looking very similar to the old GT, but now powered by a 3.5 litre Rover V8 and 5 speed gearbox. The alloy Rover engine weighed much less than the old six cylinder cast iron units and put the car back into serious contention against other Rover powered sports cars such as TVR and Morgan. The Marcos Martina was externally a very similar car to the Mantula, but with flared front arches, however it was powered by a 2 litre four cylinder Ford Cortina engine and used steering/suspension components from the same car. In 1986 the Mantula became available in convertible form as the Marcos Spyder with a design similar to the GT. Both the Mantula and Martina cars were made up to 1993.

Marcos Mantara & LM200GTRS,400,500,600 In 1992 Marcos left the kit car business and launched the Marcos Mantara that was sold through dealers in limited numbers. The Mantara was powered as standard by a 3.9 litre Rover V8 or a 4.6 as an optional extra. For a return to GT racing, a range of modified Mantaras was also produced in the LM (Le Mans) versions. In order to qualify as a production vehicle, road going cars were also made. Several version of the LM were made such as the LM400 (with a Rover 3.9 litre engine), LM500 (Rover 5 litre) and LM600 (with 6 litre Chevrolet small block V8). Only 30 road going LM cars were ever built and of these only one was a road going LM600. Marcos Mantis and GTS In 1997 the Mantis name was re-used on a 2 seater coupé or convertible road car based on the LM series powered by a Ford Cobra V8 and capable of 170 mph (270 km/h).

It cost £42000. In 1999 a 500 bhp (373 kW; 507 PS) supercharged version was announced. The Marcos GTS was a version of the new Mantis, but powered by 2 litre Rover engines. The top version was the 200 bhp (149 kW; 203 PS) turbo version. Marcos Mantaray In 1998 the GTS evolved into the Marcos Mantaray, but now with 4.0 and 4.6 Rover V8 as well as the 2 litre Rovers. Only 11 were made with the 4.0 litre, and seven with the 4.6 litre engine. In fact only 17 were finished the 18th was sold in chassis/body only form[citation needed].

Marcos Marcasite In 2002, after a break in production caused by bankruptcy, a new company was launched to manufacture the Marcasite TS250 with a 2.5 litre 175 bhp (130 kW; 177 PS) Ford V6 followed in 2003 by the 5 litre Rover V8 powered TS500. Marcos TSO The Marcos TSO was launched in 2004 with a Chevrolet V8 engine in either 350 bhp (261 kW; 355 PS) or 400 bhp (298 kW; 406 PS) versions. The car's components were CAD designed in England and its chassis engineering was completed by Prodrive. Also in 2004, the 5.7-litre Chevrolet Corvette (LS1) V8 TSO GT was announced, but solely for the Australian market. It was joined in 2005 by the GT2 for the European market. In 2006 Marcos announced the TSO GTC, a modified version of the current TSO with a racing suspension, racing brakes and a rear diffuser.

The car continues on with its Chevrolet-sourced 420 bhp (310 kW) V8, but there was also a 462 bhp (345 kW) Performance Pack available as well. With the extra power from the Performance Pack the TSO GTC accelerated to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.1 seconds and to 100 mph (160 km/h) in 8.5 seconds. With the bigger 340 mm (13 in) AP Racing brakes, the TSO GTC delivered a 0-100-0 time of 12.9 seconds, and the extra power allowed it to accelerate from 50 to 70 mph (110 km/h) in just 2.1 seconds. Its top speed was over 185 mph (298 km/h). ﻿ British sports cars - Telegraph British sports cars Marcos TS500 Marcos was founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. Based in Westbury, Wiltshire, the company assembles sports cars based on its involvement in motorsport.

This is the 5.0-litre V8-powered TS500. Marcos | Cyprus Cars Marcos was a British sports car manufacturer. The name was a combination of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. Marcos was founded in Luton, in Bedfordshire, England, in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. Frank Costin had earlier worked on the De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and from there he got the idea to use plywood for the chassis. The company moved to a converted mill in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire in 1963 and in 1971 to a £125,000 purpose built factory at nearby Westbury. Taken from Wikipedia Liquidation of British sports car maker Marcos looms | Autoweek Liquidation of British sports car maker Marcos looms April 18, 2001 Pinterest Email Marcos Sales, the British sports car maker that helped Jackie Stewart launch his racing career, is facing liquidation. Blame a strong British pound and stiff competition in the sports car market.

Eurotec, a Dutch company, bought the Marcos race team and rights to the name in 1997, but not the designs for the V8-powered road cars. Marcos was founded 42 years ago by Jem Marsh and the late Frank Costin, hence the name. Costin's brother, Mike, went on to create Cosworth, the race engine maker, with Keith Duckworth. Marcos - Great British Sports CarsGreat British Sports Cars | Blog Marcos Marcos is a famous British sports car manufacturer founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. The name Marcos comes from combining the first three letters of the founders surnames. The company was famed for producing small powerful sports cars. The company had problems exporting cars to the USA in the 1970’s. They had recently moved to expensive new premises which combined with the export problems forced the company into bankruptcy in 1971. The remaining assets, stock & parts was bought by a car dealership which called itself Marcos Ltd. Manufacturing continued but the company focussed on selling to the UK market. The company went bankrupt again in 2000. The company was saved by Tony Stelliga when he purchased the business.

Production began again in 2002 in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. The manufacturing of racing cars was relocated to the Netherlands. In 2005 most of the TVR designers began working at Marcos as the financial situation at TVR worsened. “Is this a fleeting visit? Or are they here to stay?” Richard Hammond on the return of Marcos Sadly the new owner could not make the company work financially and yet again Marcos went into bankruptcy in 2007. Some of the most notable Marcos cars produced include the Mantis, Mantaray, Mantula, Mantara, Martina, Spider and the TSO. Leave a Reply Marcos | British Car Classifieds Blog Marcos Marcos 1800 – Photo Licensed Under GNUFDL Marcos was a British sports car manufacturer. The name derives from the surnames of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. History Marcos was founded in [Dolgellau, North Wales, in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. Costin had earlier worked on the De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and from there he got the idea to use plywood for the chassis.

The company moved to a converted mill in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire in 1963 and in 1971 to a £125,000 purpose-built factory at nearby Westbury. Problems with exporting cars to the USA and the move to the expensive new premises led to financial troubles, and in 1971 Marcos went out of business. In July 1971 it was reported that the Rob Walker Group of Companies, a principal dealer, had acquired the stocks and assets and established a new company, Marcos Ltd. The new owners said production would continue, albeit, at least in the short term, only for the UK market,[1] but it is not clear whether any additional cars were built. Although Marcos dealers in the UK had been heavily discounting new cars since the end of 1970, and Motor magazine reported at the time of the collapse that the company’s stock of 35 unsold cars in the USA had to be “liquidated”, there may have been a substantial stock of new cars still looking for buyers.

One Saturday in June 1972, what was described as “a cash jumble sale of Marcos bits – prototype and shop soiled components, benches, tools…” took place at what could now be characterized as the “old Marcos Cars factory” at Westbury.[2] The sale was occasioned by the company’s reorganisation and move to a smaller factory. Jem Marsh stayed in the car business, and bought back the rights to the Marcos name in 1976. In 1981 the brand was relaunched with the Marcos V6 Coupé, which was sold in kit form. Marcos went bankrupt again in 2000. Canadian entrepreneur Tony Stelliga bought the company, and revived production in 2002. Race car production was relocated to the Netherlands while road car production moved to Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. By 2005 most of the designers from near-to-bankrupt TVR had joined the company. On 9 October 2007 it was again announced that Marcos would cease production and go into voluntary liquidation.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Marcos , which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 . Connect Enter your email address below to receive updates each time we publish new content. Privacy guaranteed. We never share your info. Categories Marcos Sports Cars Marcos Sports Cars Marcos is a British sports car manufacturer. History The company was founded in Luton, in Bedfordshire, England, in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. Frank Costin had earlier worked on the De Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and from there he got the idea to use plywood for the chassis. The company moved to a converted mill in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire in 1963 and in 1971 to a purpose built factory at nearby Westbury. Problems with exporting cars to the USA and the move to the new premises led to financial troubles in the 1970s and by 1971 they were out of business.

Jem Marsh however stayed in the auto business and in 1976 he bought back the rights to the Marcos name, and in 1981 the Marcos was relaunched with the Marcos V6 Coupe that was sold in kit form. Marcos went out of business again in 2000, but thanks to a wealthy Canadian buying the company, is now producing cars again. The race car production is now located in The Netherlands while the road cars are now made in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, United Kingdom. Marcos Cars Marcos GT The first car, the 1960 Marcos GT was a rather strange looking device with gullwing doors and a windscreen in four panels. For production the body was made less radical but initially retained the gullwing doors. It was powered by a choice of Ford engines varying from 997 cc to 1498 cc and had Standard 10 and Triumph Herald steering and suspension components. Thirty nine were made up to 1963.

In 1961 the brothers Dennis Adams and Peter Adams started working with Marcos and they introduced a number of changes to the original design and in 1963 they displayed the two seater coupÃ© Marcos GT at the London Racing Car Show. Originally this used the 4 cylinder Volvo 1800 cc unit with overdrive gearbox and De Dion rear axle but in 1966 this changed to a Ford engine in 1500 cc, 1600 cc or 1650 cc capacity and a coil sprung live rear axle. In 1969 this changed again to the Ford Taunus V4 engine as used in the Saab 96. In 1969 the GT changed from plywood chassis to a more conventional steel one. This shortened the production time and also made it possible to use more powerful 6 cylinder engines with a choice of 140 bhp, 3 litre Ford Essex V6 engine (UK), 140 bhp, 3 litre Volvo straight 6 or more rarely the Triumph 2.5 litre straight 6.

The cars were sold into the North American market and for them to pass the exhaust emissions regulations the Volvo engine was used there. The car had a wheelbase of 77 inches, a height of only 43 inches and weighed 18 cwt. The Ford V6 version achieved over 120 mph on test. Mini Marcos As the Marcos GT had got larger and more powerful, a return to smaller cars had come in 1966 with the glass fibre monocoque bodied Mini Marcos. With a wheelbase of only 69 inches the Malcolm Newell designed Mini Marcos was significantly shorter than the usual Marcos cars, but it was the only British car to finish Le Mans that year. It was powered by one of the Mini A-series range of transverse engines driving the front wheels and used Mini front and rear subframes and suspension. Production finished in about 1975 to be taken up by Harold Dermott, who took it through further developments to become the Midas. Cars were also made under licence in South Africa and Ireland. Over 1300 have been made in kit and complete car versions.

In 1991 the Mini Marcos was relaunched to meet demands from Japan and was made up to 1995. After the demise of Marcos Sales Limited, the Mini Marcos moulds were acquired by Rory McMath of Marcos Heritage Spares. The are able to manufacture/supply all fibreglass parts, from a nosecone to a complete shellMarcos Heritage relaunched the Mini Marcos in 2005 as the Marcos Heritage Mk. VI and Mk. VI GT Marcos Mantis In 1968 came two different cars both called the Mantis. One was a pure racing car, a single seater powered by a mid-mounted BRM-Repco V8.Only one was made. The other was the 2+2 Mantis, powered by a 2.5 litre Triumph TR6 six cylinder injected engine, but the design was not well received and only 32 were sold. Marcos Mantula, Spider and Martina In 1984 the Marcos Mantula appeared, looking very similar to the old GT, but now powered by a 3 litre Rover V8 and 5 speed gearbox.

The Marcos Martina was externally a very similar car to the Mantula, but with flared front arches, however it was powered by a 2 litre four cylinder Ford Cortina engine and use steering/suspension components from the same car. In 1986 the Mantula became available in convertible form as the Marcos Spyder with a design similar to the GT. Both the Mantula and Martina cars were made up to 1993. Marcos Mantara In 1992 Marcos left the kit car business and launched the Marcos Mantara that was sold through dealers in limited numbers. The Mantara was powered by a 3.9 litre Rover V8. For a return to GT racing, a range of modified Mantaras was also produced in the LM (Le Mans) versions. In order to qualify as a production vehicle, road going cars were also made. Several version of the LM were made such as the LM400 (with a Rover 3.9 litre engine), LM500 (Rover 5 litre) and LM600 (with 6 litre Chevrolet small block V8).

Only 30 road going LM cars were ever built and of these only one was a road going LM600. Marcos Mantis and GTS In 1997 the Mantis name was re-used on a 2 seater coupÃ© or convertible road car based on the LM series powered by a Ford Cobra V8 and capable of 170 mph. It cost Â£42000. In 1999 a 500 bhp (320 kW) supercharged version was announced. The Marcos GTS was a version of the new Mantis, but powered by 2 litre Rover engines. The top version was the 200 bhp (150 kW) turbo version. Marcos Mantaray In 1998 the GTS evolved into the Marcos Mantaray, but now with 4.6 Rover V8 as well as the 2 litre Rovers.

Marcos Marcasite In 2002, after a break in production, a new car was launched, the Marcasite TS250 with a 2.5 litre 175 bhp Ford V6 followed in 2003 by the 5 litre Rover V8 powered TS500. Marcos TSO Another new car, the TSO, arrived in 2004 with a Chevrolet V8 engine in either 350 BHP or 400 BHP versions. The car's components were CAD designed in England, while chassis engineering has been done by Prodrive. Also in 2004, the 5.7-litre Chevrolet Corvette (LS1) V8 TSO GT was announced, but solely for the Australian market. It was joined in 2005 by the GT2 for the European market. In 2006 Marcos announced the TSO GTC, a modified version of the current TSO with a racing suspension, racing brakes and a rear diffuser. The car continues on with its Chevrolet-sourced 420 BHP V8, but there is also a 462 BHP Performance Pack available as well.

With the extra power from the Performance Pack the TSO GTC accelerates to 60 MPH in 4.1 seconds and to 100 MPH in 8.5 seconds. With the bigger brakes, 340mm AP Racing brakes, the TSO GTC delivers a 0-100-0 time of 12.9 seconds. With the extra power, its 50 to 70 MPH time requires just 2.1 seconds. Top speed is over 185 MPH. Related Articles 2000 Marcos Mantis (GT, GTS) - Conceptcarz conceptcarz Tweet The British sports car manufacturer Marcos was founded in 1959 by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin. The name for their company was derived from the first three letters of their last names. The company was based in Luton, in Bedfordshire, England. In 1968, Marcos introduced two different cars but both were called the Mantis. One was called the Marcos Mantis XP and it was a pure racing car with a very aggressive appearance. Powering the car was a mid-mounted BRM-Repco V8 and only one example was ever made.

Other Mantis was a 2+2 Mantis M70 and it was powered by a 2.5-liter Triumph TR6 six-cylinder injected engine. The curved, sharp-nosed design was not well received and just 32 examples were sold. In 1997, the Mantis name re-appeared on a 2-seater coupe or convertible based on the LM series. Powering the car was a Ford Cobra V8 that gave the car a top speed of 170 mph and 370 horsepower. In 1999, a 500 horsepower supercharged examples was announced, that gave it an astonishing zero-to-sixty time of just 3.7 seconds. In total, 18 road-going cars were produced. Marcos produced a GT version of the Mantis as well as Marcos own single type Mantis Challenge. Another version was the Marcos GTS but powered by a 2-liter Rover engine. The turbocharged examples produced around 200 horsepower. Only one LM200GTRS was ordered in 1997 and delivered in 1998 in Greece as a present to Mr. Stavros Galanakis's son.

In 2000, the company entered bankruptcy, but was saved by a wealthy Canadian, Tony Stelliga. Production was revived in 2002. Production was relocated to the Netherlands while road car production moved to Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. The company survived for a few more years, but entered voluntary liquidation on October 9th of 2007. By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2011 LOTUS ELAN PLUS 2S OF RONNIE PETERSON COMES TO SALE Swift bidding is anticipated on this very affordable 1972 Hethel classic A 1972 Lotus Elan Plus 2S first supplied to Formula 1 driver, the late Ronnie Peterson, is one of the undisputed - and very affordable - stars at Historics at Brooklands summer sale in Surrey on Saturday 11th June. With a tempting estimate of £18,000 - £22,000, this very original Elan Plus 2S 130/5 is sure to attract considerable interest as, besides its proven provenance, it's also the very first chassis to ...

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Question: Which British sports carcompany was founded by Jem Marsh and Frank Costin?
Answer: MARCOS